LONDON-based designer Lili Saito, the creative force behind the emerging label Lils, has released her highly anticipated Spring/ Summer 2026 collection this week. Since graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2023, Saito has been steadily capturing attention with her poetic approach to design, marrying whimsical materials with deeply personal narratives.
At the heart of Lils’s SS26 collection lies an exploration of the transition from girlhood to womanhood – a journey as fluid and complex as life itself. Saito’s inspiration stems from observing how young girls are often pressured to abandon their dreams and ideals to confront the realities of adulthood. Yet despite this, they retain an enduring sense of playfulness. This tension – between vulnerability and strength, worlds of fantasy and the demands of reality – forms the emotional core of the collection.
Saito questions whether there is a single moment that defines this transition, or if it unfolds gradually, beyond control. She drew creative parallels with the work of artist Cy Twombly – whose brushstrokes blur the line between chaos and order – and the philosophical ideas of Nietzsche’s Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomy: the interplay between structure and impulse, seriousness and spontaneity. These influences are woven into garments that feel both introspective and spirited.
Natural materials play a central role in the design process. Saito’s fascination with flowers, shells, and their natural irregularities becomes a metaphor for individuality. She painstakingly created hand-made wax stamps, each unique in size and shape, echoing her belief that while no two girls are the same, each carries character and worth. This irregularity extends across the collection, from pleated shorts to a mini skirt, embodying distinct individuality rather than uniform perfection.
The show’s centerpiece is a striking Yves Klein blue dress, embroidered with thread inspired by Twombly’s gestural marks. It features a scar on the lower abdomen – a deliberate, vulnerable detail that mirrors Saito’s own scar. “I don’t like the scar, but I have accepted living with it,” she notes, symbolising acceptance of imperfections. Another standout piece – a red straw dress – incorporates texture to challenge the fashion industry’s obsession with poreless, retouched skin. These choices reflect a quiet resistance to unrealistic beauty standards and a celebration of authentic human beauty.
Shot by photographer Sarah Fassold, the campaign embraces naturalness: minimal makeup and limited retouching highlight grainy clarity and real skin texture. Printed images were scanned to further soften the idealised aesthetic, reinforcing the designer’s commitment to raw, unfiltered beauty.
Design-wise, the collection nods to 1960s fashion, balancing playful silhouettes with unexpected elements of business attire crafted in suit fabrics – symbols of adulthood and realism. The result is a collection that feels beautifully balanced between playful innocence and serious depth, capturing the nuanced journey from girlhood to womanhood with grace and insight.
Fashion Lili Saito
Photographer Sarah Fassold
Stylist Lily Rimmer
HMUA Rumi Kagotani
Digi OP and light assistant Vrinda Jelinek
Model Elfie Reigate at Kate Moss Agency
by Andy Mack